First flight success for Gripen E

Press release

15 June 2017

Defence and security company Saab today completed a successful first flight of the next generation smart fighter, Gripen E. The media are invited to join an online press briefing later today and joining details are below.

At 10:32 on Thursday June 15, Gripen E took off on its maiden flight, flown by a Saab test pilot. The aircraft (designation 39-8) left from Saab’s airfield in Linköping, Sweden and flew over the eastern parts of Östergötland for 40 minutes. During the flight, the aircraft carried out a number of actions to demonstrate various test criteria including the retracting and extending of the landing gear.

“The flight was just as expected, with the aircraft performance matching the experience in our simulations. Its acceleration performance is impressive with smooth handling. Needless to say I’m very happy to have piloted this maiden flight,” says Marcus Wandt, Experimental Test Pilot, Saab.

“Today we have flown this world class fighter aircraft for the first time. We achieved it with the fully qualified software for the revolutionary avionics system. This is about giving our customers a smart fighter system with the future designed in from the start. The flight test activities will continue to build on this achievement with the programme on track to achieve the 2019 delivery schedule to our Swedish and Brazilian customers,” says Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab Business Area Aeronautics.

Invitation to online press briefing

Time: Thursday, June 15 2017 at 16.00 CET

Speakers: Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab Business Area Aeronautics and Marcus Wandt, Experimental Test Pilot, Saab.

Online press briefing: This will be live-streamed on https://saab-pressconference.creo.se or accessible through a telephone conference call. Please use one of the following numbers depending on which country code you prefer to use:

SE+46 8 566 426 94

UK: +44 203 008 9819

US: +1 855 831 5948

It will also be possible to ask questions via the live-streamed online press briefing or by the telephone conference call.

Please note that there will be no personal attendance at the press briefing.

The press briefing will be held in English. A video of the press briefing will be available via saabgroup.com.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defence and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world. Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

Since the unveiling of Gripen E in May 2016, the programme has seen great progress. Validation and verification activities such as tests in rigs and simulators have been performed and the ground test period is in full swing. The way model based development has been approached has been successful. "Power on" and engine starts are just two examples of important milestones that has been accomplished during the last months.